Wire stretcher



E. R HALL WIRE STRETCHER Sept. 29, 1925.

Filed April 29, 1924 ERHaZl.

Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

I;.jUNITEoSTATES. PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN ROSGOE HALL, or LEGERWOOD, NORTH CAROLINA,'AISSIGNOR or ONE-HALF r MRS. Arron STEELE, or YADKIN VALLEY, NORTH CAROLINA.

WIRE STBETCHER.

Application filed April 29, 1924. Serial No. 709,802.

To all whom it may concern vBe it known that EDWIN Roscoe HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Legerwood, in the county of Caldwell and Statev of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

-.This invention relates to improvements in fence wire stretchers and has as its primary object to provide a wire stretcher which may be conveniently employed by one person working alone, to stretch fence wires beside the fence posts and to hold the said wires stretched while being stapled to the posts.

In ordinary fence wire stretchers, dlfliculty isfrequently experienced in holding the stretcher in position to maintain the wire taut while it is being stapled to the post with which the stretcher is engaged,

,- and therefore the present invention has as another. important-object to provide means whereby the stretcher may be temporarily secured to the posts after the wire has been suitably tensioned and will maintain the I position which it atthat time occupies,

thus permitting of the staples being more readilydriven and permitting the user to employ both hands in the operation of securing the wire to the post;

Another object of the invention is to so construct the stretcher that when the fence wire is engaged therewith, the said wire will be firmly and positively gripped so as to provide against any slippage of the wire during the stretching operation, the gripping'means being, however, so constructed as to permit. of convenient and instantaneous release of the wire after it has been stapled to the .post.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the stretcher that it may be em ployed likewise as a staple puller, so that it is useful not only in stretching fence Wires, but also as a means for removing the staples which secure such wires, where the wires are to be replaced as, for example, in re pairing the fence.

, .In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a. wire stretcher constructed in accordance with the present invention, the head of the stretcher being illustrated as disposed against a post to which the stretched wire is to be secured;

Figure 2 1s a horizontal sectional View through the stretcher at the head end thereof.

The stretcher comprises a hand lever, which is indicated in general by the numeral 1 and which may be of metal, wood,

or any other material found suitable for ing. As fence posts are generally of uniform size, the dimensions of the head 2 and particularly the dimensions and curvature of the engaging face 3 thereof will be determined accordingly so that when the stretcher is applied to a post, the face 3 will embrace one-side of the said post.

The head 2 is formed, at one end and at one side' of the inner end of the lever 1, with a claw indicated by the numeral 4, and the fingers of this claw, which are indicated by the numeral 5, are separated by a kerf 6 which gradually decreases in width in the direction of the inner end of the claw, so that the confronting faces of the said fingers meet at a relatively acute angle at the inner end of the said kerf. This claw, it will be understood, may beemployed in withdrawing staples which have been driven into the posts supporting the fence, and it likewise serves a further purpose to be presently explained.

In its upper side, the hand lever 1 is formed, adjacent its juncture with the head 2, with a recess 7 which opens through the opposite sides of the said lever, and disposed within this recess is the substantially circular head 8' of a gripping eccentric which is indicated by the numeral 9. The head 8 is provided throughout a portion of its periphery vwith a series of corrugations indicated by'the numeral 10, and the tom wall of the recess 7. A handle 13 extends from the periphery of the head 8 of the gripping eccentric and aifords means whereby the eccentric may be moved about its pivot 11. At this point, and particularly by reference to Figure 2 of the drawing, it will be understood that the wire to be stretched and which illustrated in dot,

and dash lines in Figure 2 and indicated by the reference letter W, is brought about the post indicated by the reference characrecess 7 is of arcuate form and is therefore adapted to securely clamp between it and the corrugated periphery of the eccentric 9 the wire to be stretched;

As previously stated, the present invention contemplates the provision of means whereby the stretcher may be held or supported in the position which it may assume at the end of the stretching operation, so that both hands of the user will be left free toperform the task of stapling thestretched wire tothe fence posts, and this meanscoinprises an arcuate dog, indicated by the numoral 14 The said dog is pivotal'ly mounted at its inner end-by a pivot pin 15, between spaced lugs 16, formed at that end of the head 52 opposite the end at which the claw 4 is located, and thecl-irvature of the dog is: such as to permit it to substantially embrace one side of the post when the dog is swung inwardly. The dog is provided at its free end with a sharply pointed spur 17 which is presented inwardly and, when the dog has been brought to the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 of the drawings,

after the stretching of the wire has been effected, the said spuris: driven into the post; as shown infull: lines in the said figure. In this manner the engagement of the spur of the dogin the post and the tension of the stretched wireacooperate to render the tendency; maybe arrested by the means stretcher sel f'supporting while the wire is being stapled to the post.

llf there should be any tendency for the hand lever 1 to swing downwardly, this SllDWIl in Figure 1 of? the drawing and ind cated in general by the numeral 18. The saidmeans: comprises a length: of chain 19 connected to the outer end of the hand lever 1,, and" nhook QO-connected to the free end of the chain, the hook 20 being adapted to be engaged with the stretched or taut wire at the most convenient point, for" the purpose stated.

From- .the foregoing description. of the invention, it will be seen that there is provided a wire stretcher which may be operated by one working alone and which will be self-supporting or sustaining after having been brought to a position where the wire will be stretched and after the spur 17 of the dog 14 has been driven into-the post against which the stretcher head is disposed. It wi'll likewise be evident that the engagement of the wire in the restricted inner end of the kerf 6- and likewise the engagement of the wire between the wall 12 of the recess 7 and the corrugated periphery of the head 8 of the gripping eccentric both constitute anefticient means for anchoring the wire to the stretcher while the stretcher is being swung around posts.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A wire stretcher comprising a head having a concave side to embrace a post, a hand lever extending from the head, means upon the stretcher for gripping the wire to be stretcl'ied, mean-s upon one portion of said head for anchorage to the post toprevent rotative movement ot'the head about the post, and a claw upon another 'rtion of the headsubstantially overhanging the gripping means and adapted to receive and guide the wire tosaid gripping means.

2. A wire stretcher comprising a head havinga concave sideto embrace a post, a hand lever extending from the head, wiregripping means upon the hand lever, a chew upon one portion of the head disposed substantially in alinement with and" substantially overhanging the gripping means, said claw being adapted to. receive and guide the wire to the gripping means, and means uponanother portion ot the head for anchorage to the post to prevent rotative movement of the head about the post;

3; A wire stretcher com-prising a head for engagement with a post, a single band lever formed integral with and extending laterallyfrom the head, means upon said hand lever for gripping the wire tobe stretched, a claw carried by the head substantially m'erhangin-g the gripping means and adapt"- ed to receive and guide the wire to said? gripping means, and a flexible sup-porting element connected to the outer end of the hand lever and having anelement for engagement with the stretched portion oil the wire.

In testimony WhGIBOfI affix my s gnature.

EDWIN ROSCQE HALL. [Lisa] 

